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Y Pavement. No. 23,138..- Pateme March fa, 1859.

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,V 2 sheets-Sheer 2. J. MONTGOMEBYF .Pa'tnted March 8, 1859.

JAMES MONTGOMERY, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

IRON PAVEMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 23,188, dated March 8, 1859.

To all 'whom et may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES MONTGOMERY, of the city, county, and State ofNew York,

have invented certain new `and useful Im` provements in Pavements; and Ihereby deolare the following to be a full and exactdescription of thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part ofthis specification.

The subject of the said invention is a metallic pavement composed ofribs or laminee in planes parallel or nearly so connected by webs ofmetal below the surface, the spaces between the said ribs being lilledwith a suitable concrete; and the leading features of novelty consist inmethods hereinafter described of constructing and laying the saidpavement and a railroad track in connection therewith.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a transverse section of astreet embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan of same. Fig. 3 is atransverse section on a larger scale, of one railroad rail with itsunderlying sleeper and adjacent parts of the ribbed plates. Figs. 4 and5 are end views of fragments of the ribbed plates exhibiting difterentforms of construction. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section at II, II, Fig.5. Fig. 7 is a plan of a portion of one of the `ribbed plates. Fig. 8 isa plan of a street with the railway omitted, exhibiting the manner ofscarfing or breaking the joints between the plates. Figs. 9 to 18inclusive are fragmentary sections at III III, Figs. 1 and 2, exhibitingmodifications in the formI of the ribbed plates and in theV manner ofconnecting them.

A, A, are metallic plates constructed with ribs or laminae It, connectedbelow by webs of metal a, so as to leave grooves or spaces G, which arefilled with a suitable concrete to give strength and rigidity, affordfoot hold for horses and preserve the metal from corrosion. It ispreferred to have the ribs R, vertical or nearly so; but whethervertical or inclined their planes will be parallel toward their upperpart so as to firmly retain within the intervening grooves the concretewith which the latter are filled. It will also be apparent 4that inpavement constructed as described but a small amount of metal is exposedon the upper surface, and such as is exposed presents well dened anglesso as to afford good hold for horses feet. The material preferred forlling the grooves in the metallic plates is a concrete composed of sharpcoarse sand and gravel firmly consolidated by means of .a grouting ofany suitable-.cement, lime entering into `the compound, to preserve themetal from corrosion.

The plates A, are sustained at the ends by buttress plates B, bearingagainst the curb stones C. D, D, are longitudinal sleepers or strongpieces, which may be applied tov sustain the pavement toward the centerof the street.

The plates A and A', are so cast or rolled as to increase regularly invertical depth toward their center, while their edges which rest uponthe sleepers D are flattened and lapped in manner clearly shown in Fig.3, so as to afford suitable bearing and attachment for a railroad railE, one edge (e) of which engages under the projecting edge a', of theplate A, while a spike F, passing through the rail near its inner edgeand through both the plates A, and A', binds the whole firmly together.In the illustration given in Fig. 1 the form of the plates is such as toproduce on their combined upper surfaces the necessary carnber for acarriage way. l/Vhen applied to sidewalks or other purposes requiring aflat surface the ncrease of thickness toward the center is produced byconvexity exclusively on the under side.

r, r, are cavities formed at the upper edges of the ribs R, to preventthe slipping of wheels or of horses feet when passing obliquely acrossthe street.

The edges of the webs a, a, a, may be connected by tongues and groovesin any of the forms exhibited in the fragmentary sections above referredto or by various equivalent methods which will readily suggest them-Aselves.

Instead of the edges of the plates A and A lapping as shown in Figs. 1and 3, they may be laid flush and a separate flat bar applied beneaththe joint and riveted to the outer plate while the spike F, secures itto the inner one in the manner previously described.

From an examination of the construction of the buttress plates B, itwill be apparent that they afford some degree of elasticity, which inconnection with the camber of the Ystreet exerts a constant pressuretoward the center so as to prevent the opening of the joints by changeof temperature andvby the working in of dirt or other extraneous matterwhich Would rapidly destroy the iittinOs.

rIjhe concavity beneath the rail E, is bene- 5 icial in reducing thelaminating action caused by traffic over its surface, but the saidcavity is not deemed an essential element of the invention.

Among the advantages produced by the described combination of the railWith the plates A and A it may be observed that the rail When spikeddown acts as a band to `conne the ends of the plates and at the sametime the projecting edge CV, of the plate forms a solid support to theouter edge of the rail and protects the latter from any sudden jars fromthe wheels oi? vehicles which would otherwise cause it to Work loose andseriously impair its durability.

The tightness of the joints throughout this pavement is a feature ofgreat importance With soils Which would otherwise aiford `an insecurefoundation and tend to ooZe up between the plates. To render the jointsmore eiiectually Water tight, strips of vulcanized india rubber or othermaterial commonly used for such purposes may be introduced.

The method shown of connecting the ribs by Webs near the top and basealternately, affords greater supportto their upper edges and enablesthem to bent or yield sufficiently to prevent the distortion or fracturefre- 23, les

quently caused by changes of temperature in paving plates Whoseconnecting web is in one plane.

I claim as new and of my invention and desire to secure by LettersPatent l. A metallic pavement consisting of a series of ribs or laminaein planes parallel or nearly so, connected at alternate or varyinglevels by Webs of metal substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. Constructing' metallic paving plates with ribs or arches of greatervertical depth in their intervening portion than at or near theirsustained edges.

3. The described combination of a concave or other suitably formed railE, With the projecting edge a, of the paving plate A, and the underlyingedges of the plates A and A', for the purposes set forth.

The described construction and application of the buttress plate B, inconnection with the plate A, and curb stone C, for the purposeexplained.

5. Connecting the edges of ribbed or arched paving plates by tongue andgroove joints as shown in Figs. 9 to 13 or in any mechanicallyequivalent form.

In testimony of Which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

JAMES MONTGOMERY.

, Vitnesses:

Oris KNIGHT, EDW. F. BROWN.

